REGIONAL: Rowan County uncle will buy nephew a new car with $200,260 win

RALEIGH – Salisbury resident Rickey Gunthrope recently made a big promise to his nephew that he can now keep after winning a $200,260 Cash 5 jackpot Sunday.

“My nephew’s car broke down. I said, ‘If I win any money, I will buy you a car,’ ” Gunthrope said. “I called him this morning and told him to go shopping.”

Gunthrope bought his lucky $1 ticket from the Food Lion on North Salisbury Avenue in Spencer. It matched all five numbers to win the jackpot.

“I have always played that same combination of numbers,” he said. “I told myself that one day it would come for me.”

Gunthrope said he woke up early Monday morning to check the results from Sunday night’s drawing.

“When I saw my numbers, I just started slapping myself because I couldn’t believe my eyes,” he laughed. “I was like, ‘Am I awake?’ ”

He arrived at lottery headquarters a few hours later to collect his prize and, after required federal and state tax withholdings, took home $142,686.

Gunthrope said besides buying his nephew a car, he will use his winnings to do some home repairs on a house he just purchased a couple months ago.

Cash 5 is one of six lottery games in North Carolina where players have the option of buying their tickets at a retail location or with Online Play through the lottery’s website or with the NC Lottery Official Mobile App. Tuesday’s Cash 5 jackpot is $110,000.

For details on how $7.5 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Rowan County in 2022, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.

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